Some 20,000 police to patrol Hamburg streets during G20 summit

At the moment, about 20 requests to hold rallies during the summit were received by the city authorities

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BERLIN, July 2. /TASS/. Hamburg mayor Olaf Scholz vowed to ensure security during the G20 summit in his city, saying in an interview with Tagesspiegel am Sonntag that 20,000 police will be deployed on city streets on July 7-8.

"We will be able to guarantee security. Police is well-prepared, with about 20,000 officers maintaining public order during the summit," he said. "We will not allow violence or hostile demonstrations to take place."

At the moment, about 20 requests to hold rallies during the summit were received from anti-globalists, anarchists and other leftist forces. The biggest rally, headlined "G20 not welcome here," is scheduled to take place on July 8 and is expected to gather up to 150,000 people.

Temporary detention facilities have already been set up on the city’s territory at the cost of EUR 750,000.

According to police estimates, about 8,000 suspected radical left-wing activists are expected to arrive in the city.

Hamburg barred the protesters from setting up a tent camp in the city area, but the ban was partially overruled by the Federal Constitutional Court. In an apparent compromise between the city's stance and Germany's right to free assembly, the protesters were allowed to set up tents, but only for political campaigning. They will not be allowed to live there.